About Us
“I opened Wayne Ritchie’s Waterskier’s World in 1986 after I saw a gap in the Melbourne market for a more professional water sport and snow sport store offering a wider range of products.
In my late teens and early 20’s, I travelled extensively along the West Coast of the US while competing in ski racing events and had the opportunity to visit some iconic water sport stores such as ‘Endo’s in LA, Mello’s in San Fran and Willey’s in Seattle. All these stores offered a huge range of water sport brands such as Stinger, EP, Connelly ,O’Brien and Kidder to mention a few, while back in Melbourne our retail stores were very one brand focused. I was lucky enough to be introduced to Herb O’Brien (founder of O’Brien, HO/Hyperlite and Radar/Ronix) who assisted in opening my business back home with that friendship continuing until Herb’s passing a few years ago.
Formerly ‘Waterskier’s World’, followed by ‘Skiers Edge’ and today known solely as ‘Wayne Ritchies’, we attribute our success and longevity to a few key factors – We stock a huge range of the best products available, we have great customer service given by trained and passionate staff and the store's ability to evolve and change with the times.”
- Wayne Ritchie
Today, we continue this heritage as a team of avid waterskier’s, wakeboarder’s, snow skier’s and snowboarder’s that are passionate about the industry we work in. We spend time in the boat over summer and in the mountains over winter, expanding our knowledge about the products we use and offer. Our store has grown significantly since 1986, and today we stock one of the largest ranges of water sport and snow sport product in the country from all the top brands.
Our team is committed to go above and beyond to ensure our customers have a positive experience, whether it's through personalised recommendations, expert advice, or post-purchase support. As a family owned and operated business, we strive to be industry leaders, with an impressive range of products, top customer service and an un-matched shopping experience both in-store, and online.